Renewable Properties, a developer and investor of small-scale utility and community solar energy projects throughout the U.S., begins construction on the Soscol Ferry Road Solar Project in Napa County, after months of development, planning and preparation.

Renewable Properties developed the small-scale utility solar project that will supply Marin Clean Energy (MCE), California's first Community Choice Aggregation Program, with 2 MWac (2.8 MWdc) of in-service area solar electricity. This will be the firm's second project in Napa County and is expected to begin delivery of clean, locally-produced electricity to MCE by the Fall of this year through a 20-year power purchase agreement.

The Soscol Ferry Road Solar Project is the first community-scale solar installation in the County to install a pollinator plant meadow. As such, Renewable Properties has partnered with San Francisco-based, Pollinator Partnership, the world's largest nonprofit devoted solely to the health of all pollinators, to develop a pollinator habitat on site.

"Renewable Properties is pleased to continue our partnership with MCE to supply affordable, locally sourced solar energy to its customers through the Soscol Ferry Road Solar Project," said Aaron Halimi, President of Renewable Properties. "We're particularly proud of the creative ways we've addressed the community's concerns, and brought in biologists and pollinator experts to develop a customized solution to promote biodiversity within a three-mile radius of the site."

"We're excited to be working with the Renewable Properties team on the creation of a pollinator meadow at the Soscol Ferry Road solar project," said Laurie Davies Adams, President and CEO of Pollinator Partnership. "By seeding pollinator-friendly species under and around the eight-foot-tall array of solar panels, flowers and vegetation will grow and enhance pollination and biodiversity in the surrounding area." 

"We're grateful to Renewable Properties for going above and beyond when it comes to the lasting impact of their solar projects on the County," said Dawn Weisz, CEO of MCE. "In addition to supplying clean energy to our grid, they're taking a leadership position as it relates to the installation of a pollinator habitat which will have a lasting positive impact on the region's biodiversity. We're hoping this project serves as a new model for all future solar projects within our service territory."

The community-scale solar array will occupy 14 acres of a larger 22.4-acre site near Soscol Ferry Road and the Napa Sanitation District's sewage treatment plant; land that was previously used for dry-farmed vineyards. Portions of the site will remain in service by local vintners. Using horizontal single-axis tracking technology and more than 7,800 bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, the installation will produce enough clean electricity to power 750 single-family homes in Napa annually. This is equivalent to avoiding more than 4,432 metric tons of COâ‚‚ emissions annually which is similar to the volume of greenhouse gases emitted from 958 passenger vehicles driven over the course of one year¹.

"We commend Renewable Properties for being a responsive development partner and listening to the community throughout the entire process," said Belia Ramos, Napa County Fifth District Supervisor. "Their willingness to problem-solve, work through challenges and ultimately deliver a project the community can be proud of is a testament to their dedication to delivering clean, reliable and locally generated renewable energy."

¹ According to US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculations.

Renewable Properties | www.renewprop.com

MCE | https://www.mcecleanenergy.org